Recurrence after Delorme's procedure in a single and multi-surgeon setting

Delorme's procedure (DP) is a perineal repair reserved for full-thickness rectal prolapse (FTRP) in elderly/comorbid patients due to its low perioperative morbidity. Reported recurrence rates are higher than for abdominal approaches. This study reports the long-term clinical outcomes of recurrence and postoperative bowel function after DP.

A retrospective cohort study including all patients who underwent a DP for FTRP between February 2001 and March 2014 at two primary study sites: Groote Schuur Hospital (multi-surgeon) and Kingsbury Hospital (singlesurgeon). Primary outcome was the absence of recurrence of FTRP after DP. Secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality and morbidity, postoperative bowel function and length of hospital stay.

70 patients underwent DP: 37 were operated on by the single surgeon and 33 by multiple surgeons. The median age was 76 years (IQR 20 years). Median length of follow-up was 46 months (IQR 55 months). 16 recurrences occurred: 7 in the single-surgeon cohort and 9 in the multi-surgeon cohort (p = 0.4). Median time to recurrence was 23 months (IQR 36 months): 48 months in the single-surgeon cohort and 15 months in the multi-surgeon cohort (p = 0.6). Six patients each had minor and major complications. Three patients died postoperatively. 8 patients required reoperation. Median postoperative hospital stay was three days (IQR 2 days). There were no significant differences between the multi-surgeon and single-surgeon cohorts.

Long-term follow-up demonstrates a recurrence rate of 23% after DP, with no difference between an experienced colorectal specialist and supervised trainee surgeons.